Section 23

Sanjaya said, While Sahadeva, filled with rage, was thus blasting thy host, Duhshasana, O great king, proceeded against him, the brother against the brother. Beholding those two engaged in dreadful combat, all the great car-warriors uttered leonine shouts and waved their garments. Then, O Bharata, the mighty son of Pandu was struck in the chest with three arrows by thy angry son armed with bow. Then Sahadeva, O king, having first pierced thy son with an arrow, pierced him again with seventy arrows, and then his driver with three. Then Duhshasana, O monarch, having cut off Sahadeva's bow in that great battle, pierced Sahadeva himself with three and seventy arrows in the arms and the chest. Then Sahadeva filled with rage, took up a sword, in that dreadful conflict, and whirling, hurled it quickly towards the car of thy son.

Cutting off Duhshasana's bow with string and arrow fixed on it, that large sword fell down on the Earth like a snake from the firmament. Then the valiant Sahadeva taking up another bow, shot a deadly shaft at Duhshasana. The Kuru warrior, however, with his keen-edged sword, cut off into two fragments that shaft, bright as the rod of Death, as it coursed towards him. Then whirling that sharp sword, Duhshasana quickly hurled it in that battle as his foe. Meanwhile that valiant warrior took up another bow with a shaft. Sahadeva, however, with the greatest ease, cut off, with his keen shafts, that sword as it coursed towards him, and caused it to fall down in that battle. Then, O Bharata, thy son, in that dreadful battle, quickly sped four and sixty shafts at the car of Sahadeva. Sahadeva, however, O king, cut off every one of those numerous arrows as they coursed with great impetuosity towards him, with five shafts of his. Checking then those mighty shafts sped by thy son, Sahadeva, in that battle, sped a large number of arrows at his foe. Cutting off each of those shafts with three shafts of his, thy son uttered a loud shout, making the whole Earth resound with it.

Then Duhshasana, O king, having pierced Sahadeva in that battle, struck the latter's driver with nine arrows. The valiant Sahadeva then, O monarch, filled with rage, fixed on his bow-string a terrible shaft resembling the Destroyer himself and forcibly drawing the bow, he sped that shaft at thy son. Piercing with great speed through his strong armour and body, that shaft entered the Earth, O king, like a snake penetrating into an ant-hill. Then thy son, that great car-warrior, swooned away, O king. Beholding him deprived of his senses, his driver quickly took away the car, himself forcibly struck all the while with keen arrows. Having vanquished the Kuru warrior thus, the son of Pandu, beholding Duryodhana's division, began to crush it on all sides. Indeed, O king, as a man excited with wrath crushes swarm of ants, even so, O Bharata did that son of Pandu begin to crush the Kaurava host